Wonder Woman

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This article is about the character known as "Princess Diana of Themyscira" and "Eris Prince". For
other characters given this name, as well as this character in other media, see Wonder Woman
(disambiguation).

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman in Justice #5 (June 2006)

Art by Doug Braithwaite and Alex Ross

Publication information

Publisher DC Comics

First appearance All Star Comics #8

(released October 1941)[1]

 William Moulton Marston[2] (writer)

Created by
 H. G. Peter (artist)
 In-story information

Species  Amazonian-Olympian Demigoddess Hybrid

Demigoddess (2011–present)

Place of origin Themyscira (Earth)

Team affiliations Justice League

 Department of Metahuman Affairs

 Justice League Dark

Partnerships  Wonder Girl (various)

 Superman

 Batman

Notable aliases Diana Prince

Abilities See list[show]

Wonder Woman is a fictional superheroine, appearing in American comic books published by DC

Comics. The character is a founding member of the Justice League. The character first appeared
in All Star Comics #8 in October 1941[1] with her first feature in Sensation Comics #1, January 1942.
The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief
hiatus in 1986.[3] In her homeland, the island nation of Themyscira, her official title is Princess Diana
of Themyscira, Daughter of Hippolyta. She has no father; she was created out of clay and brought
to life by the gods of Olympus. When blending into the society outside of her homeland, she
sometimes adopts her civilian identity Diana Prince.[4]
Wonder Woman was created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen
name: Charles Moulton),[2] and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life
partner, Olive Byrne,[5] are credited as being his inspiration for the character's
appearance.[2][6][7][8][9] Marston's comics featured his ideas on DISC theory,[10] and the character drew a
great deal of inspiration from early feminists, and especially from birth control pioneer Margaret
Sanger; in particular, her piece "Woman and the New Race".
Wonder Woman's origin story relates that she was sculpted from clay by her mother Queen
Hippolyta and was given a life to live as an Amazon, along with superhuman powers as gifts by
the Greek gods. In recent years, DC changed her background with the retcon that she is the
daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta, jointly raised by her mother and her aunts Antiope and Menalippe.
The character has changed in depiction over the decades, including briefly losing her powers entirely
in the late 1960s; by the 1980s, artist George Perez gave her an athletic look and emphasized her
Amazonian heritage.[11][12] She possesses an arsenal of advanced technology, including the Lasso of
Truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets, a tiara which serves as a projectile, and, in older stories, a
range of devices based on Amazon technology.
Wonder Woman's character was created during World War II; the character in the story was initially
depicted fighting Axis military forces as well as an assortment of colorful supervillains, although over
time her stories came to place greater emphasis on characters, deities, and monsters from Greek
mythology. Many stories depicted Wonder Woman rescuing herself from bondage, which defeated
the "damsels in distress" trope that was common in comics during the 1940s.[13][14] In the decades
since her debut, Wonder Woman has gained a cast of enemies bent on eliminating the Amazon,
including classic villains such as Ares, Cheetah, Doctor Poison, Circe, Doctor Psycho, and Giganta,
along with more recent adversaries such as Veronica Cale and the First Born. Wonder Woman has
also regularly appeared in comic books featuring the superhero teams Justice Society (from 1941)
and Justice League (from 1960).[15]
The character is a well-known figure in popular culture that has been adapted to various media.
October 21 is Wonder Woman Day, commemorating the release of her first appearance in All Star
Comics #8[16] (with the exception of 2017 which held the day on June 3 to tie in with the release
of the film of the same name).[17]
Wonder Woman has been featured in various media from radio to television and film, and appears in
merchandise sold around the world, such as apparel, toys, dolls, jewelry, and video
games. Shannon Farnon, Susan Eisenberg, Maggie Q, Lucy Lawless, Keri Russell, Michelle
Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Cobie Smulders, and Halsey among others, have provided the
character's voice for animated adaptations. Wonder Woman has been depicted in both film and
television by Cathy Lee Crosby, Lynda Carter, and in the DC Extended Universe films by Gal Gadot.